Ken Salazar (second from far right) joins President Barack Obama at the dedication of the MLK memorial in October.

U.S. Secretary of Interior Ken Salazar lauded the introduction of bipartisan and bicameral legislation from Congress to establish a Smithsonian American Latino[2] museum.

Introduced by Sens. Robert Menendez, D-N.J.; Harry Reid, D-Nev.; Marco Rubio, R-Fla. and Reps. Xavier Becerra, D-Calif. and Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, R-Fla., the legislation came about as a result of recommendations by the National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL) commission.

According to a news release, the congressionally-established and presidentially-appointed NMAL commission was tasked to study the potential of a national museum dedicated to the art, culture and history of the Latino community in the United States. The commission delivered its final report to President Barack Obama [3]and Congressional leaders in May.

“The story of the American Latino is an integral part of our national narrative and it is only fitting that this story be reflected in a museum that is located on our nation’s front yard,” said Salazar in a statement. “Thanks to the Commission’s thorough report and the tremendous bipartisan support behind this project … we are making progress in commemorating the countless contributions of Latinos to our country.”